Sycamore 13, Kaneland 5

Five minutes after the game's first pitch, play was suspended for 30 minutes when umpires noticed a flash of lightning during Tuesday's Sycamore-Kaneland baseball contest.

When action resumed, it was Sycamore's bats that supplied the accompanying thunder, as the Spartans (15-8, 12-4) bashed 16 base hits -- 7 of them of the extra-base variety -- en route to a 13-5 Western Sun Conference triumph over the host Knights (13-8, 9-7) in Maple Park.

Trailing 3-2, Kevin Edwards' 2-run home run capped a 4-run third that put the Spartans on top for good.

Three innings later, designated hitter David Salvatore spoiled any hopes of a Kaneland comeback when he laced an opposite-field grand slam to fuel a 5-run sixth that put the game out of reach.

"It's my first grand slam and one I'll remember for a long time," the left-handed hitting slugger said of his fourth home run of the season.

While all 9 starters recorded base hits for the Spartans, it was the bottom of the order that crippled the Knights' cause. Sycamore's 6-7-8-9 hitters went 9-for-16 with a pair of home runs, 2 doubles and 9 RBI.

"We swung the bats as well as we have in a long time," said Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh. "We were in a stretch of games where we weren't facing overpowering pitchers but we couldn't seem to string five or six hits together.

"We were able to do that today against good pitching. I thought we did a good job of going deep into the count and making their pitchers work."

Southpaw starter Alex Norman (4-2) suffered the loss for the Knights, who dropped their third consecutive conference contest.

"They stung the heck out of the ball today but we definitely didn't play the way we normally do," said Kaneland coach Brian Aversa. "We took advantage of early opportunities but that one inning where it was error, error, messed-up bunt, grand slam kind of put us in a bad spot.

"We got out of this game quickly and kind of hung our heads, and you can't do that -- not against a team like this."

Things began promisingly for the Knights, who grabbed a 3-1 lead after one inning thanks to an RBI double by Joe Gura and run-scoring singles from Nick Wagner and Alex Norman.

Pinch-hitter Austin Park's 2-run single narrowed the gap to 6-5 after 3 innings but it would be the Knights' last base hit until the seventh.

Sycamore ace right-hander Will Strack (7-1) went the distance, fanning 11 while retiring 12 consecutive batters at one point.

"We sure didn't think he'd be around to see the seventh inning today," said Cavanaugh. "Those were the first earned runs he's given up in conference this year."

Kaneland now faces a pair of must-win situations as the 3-game series with first-place Sycamore continues today and Thursday.

"We've got to find it and we've got to find it fast or we're going to be out of this race," said Aversa.